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The New School Blues
Help Your Child Adjust to a
New School
New School
By Shel Franco
When Mary Rice's husband walked through the door, she knew something was wrong. "He told me his job was moved to Georgia, and we could either go with the job or lose the job," she says. "We both cried for hours."
The Rices had built their entire life around a small community in Pennsylvania, but corporate downsizing was taking its toll on the area and many families were being forced to relocate.
"We knew the best move for our future was to move," says Rice, who now lives in Atlanta, Ga. "But it wasn't so easy to convince the kids."
At 8 and 11 years old, the Rice children were settled into their schools and had strong circles of friends. Their reaction is echoed by millions of children who are forced to relocate and begin life in a new city and a new school. It's bound to be a stressful experience, but parents can help ease the new school blues.
Involve your children as much as possible in the move and the options surrounding it. "We didn't have a choice of whether or not we had to move, but we did have a choice about the house and the neighborhood and even the schools," says Janice Long, of Mequon, Wis. "Those became the kids' pet projects."
While it was a logistical hassle, the Longs felt it was important enough to bring their children on every trip they made to Wisconsin. "It really would have been easier if my husband and I could have flown up alone, but the kids ended up seeing something special in a house my husband and I didn't really like," Long says. "Now, we can't imagine living anywhere else."
